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Ethren / Home Improvement
Interior Painting
The wall disappears. The room appears.
A good paint job is mostly prep you never see. Cracks chased, nail pops set, seams feathered until your palm feels no edge. Then prime — so color sits true.
We mix sheen as carefully as color: matte where you want softness, a touch more on trim where hands pass, just enough in a bath to shed steam. The light in your room decides, not a fan deck alone.
Scope & materials
What we paint — and how we prep it
Paint is the last 10%. The first 90% is what you feel with your palm when the light rakes the wall. We chase every crack, set every nail pop, skim the seam, sand, and prime — so the color has a calm place to sit.
- Walls, ceilings, soffits · patches feathered and texture blended, no photograph of the repair left behind
- Trim, baseboards, doors, casings · filled, sanded to 220, sprayed when the profile is sharp, brushed when the wood asks for it
- Cabinetry and built-ins · degreased, sanded, primed per substrate (MDF needs a different primer than maple)
- Stair strings, handrails, spindles · masked square, not caulked as an excuse
- Interior stain and clear coats · sample stained on offcut from your room, not a shop sample
Approach & execution
Color and sheen — chosen in your room, not in the store
A fan deck lies. Your north window and warm bulbs tell the truth. We brush two large swatches — matte and the sheen we propose — and you live with them for a day. Farrow & Ball on a Stuart white wall at 3pm is a different color than at 8am.
We spec sheen by touch and use: dead matte on ceilings so seams vanish, eggshell on walls for a soft hand, satin on trim where shoulders brush, semi-gloss only where steam sits. Limewash or plaster when you want movement, not just color.
Approach & execution
While you live here
Most homes are occupied. We seal one room, run a zipper door, lay Ram board, and cut outside or with extraction when we can. At day’s end we vacuum, bag, and you can sleep there. For that reason we note ventilation windows in the proposal — especially for oil or lacquer on built-ins.
Materials
We specify primer and paint per substrate (drywall, plaster, MDF, bare wood) and per room (bath, kitchen, high-touch). Low-VOC lines are available on request.
What is included. What is not.
Clear scope before work begins. Written in the proposal, not assumed on site.
Included
- Site protection — floors, cabinetry, and fixtures masked and sealed
- Surface repairs — nail pops, cracks, and drywall patches — sanded and primed
- Caulk and fill at trim junctions for continuous lines
- Two-coat application (plus primer where needed), cut cleanly at edges
- Hardware removal/reinstall and daily clean
- Labeled touch-up containers left on site
Not included / by others unless stated
- Exterior painting, wallpaper removal beyond minor residue, and mold remediation
- Moving large furniture or art — small items by us, large by owner
- Color design beyond two rounds of swatches (additional rounds billed hourly)
How this service runs.
A measured sequence. Each step is confirmed in writing before the next begins.
Assess
Walk the space, note repairs, light, and sheen per surface. Large swatches placed in the room for sign-off.
Prepare
Patch, fill, sand, caulk, and spot-prime. Floors and fittings protected; dust extraction where needed.
Apply
Cut and roll or spray per profile. Two coats plus primer where needed, with dry times respected between coats.
Review
Walk-through under finished light. Touch-ups closed, tape removed, and care notes left with labeled paint.
Light check
Paint that holds the late afternoon.
No flashing, no picture-framing. Just a surface that takes light and gives it back softly.
See painted roomsGood to know before we start.
Direct answers. Full terms are documented in the written proposal.
We are living here — how do you keep it livable?
One room at a time, sealed from the rest, vacuumed at day’s end. Strong-smell work gets a window of air — or we use low-VOC from the start. You still get to sleep at home.
Help with color?
We brush two big swatches on your wall, in your light, and you live with them a day. More rounds if you want them — we bill the extra by the hour, no surprise.
What paint do you trust?
The one that fits the wall. Often Benjamin Moore or Sherwin-Williams, sometimes Farrow & Ball when the room asks for it. We write the line, the sheen, and why in the proposal.
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